The FastDay Forum

Flip it, I just deleted a huge post.

I have made elderflower cordial and will shortly try gorse flower cordial. Blackberry and apple jam was very successful christmas gifts. I added port and cinnamon for a festive flavour. Similar story for blackberry whiskey. I wish I made more of that! I have made marmalade from the starter tin. Does that count! Wild garlic is just coming into season now and makes a really nice pesto. Hummous is fairly easy to make too. There is no cooking so I cant burn it, lol!

Later in the year I want to try sloe gin. I am new to hedgerow forraging and learning as I go. I think the key is to identify something abundant locally and then do a net search for ideas on how to use it.

Does anyone know a good website that would give a calendar of what is in season when? I would love a book/ diary/ website with id charts and recepies by month!

How about www.gardenate.com? Just planting and harvesting dates but it gives an idea of what is available when.

Nice thread Juliana.
I make bread, mostly sourdough. I sometimes make my own pasta. I've made cheese and am soon going to try making yoghurt. I want to try the sprouts too.
I also, with a lot of help from hubby, grow a lot of herbs, salad, corn, silverbeet, capsicum and beetroot. We are planning on planting lots more when we have five minutes to do it.
Oh and I'm hoping for an ice cream maker for my birthday later this year so I can make my own ice cream.

Did I hear you say ice cream. Im gonna pull my ice cream maker out of storage when my kitchen reno's are done. Youve just inspired me.

Though i rmember Nigella Lawson on my facebook news feed posting this one. no churner required.. http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/ONE ... CREAM-5550

I'm the sex toy maker by the way. I do wood turning and find it fun to make birthday presents for the lady who has everything. I will sometime this week get around to making a giant crochet hook, just to see how it comes out. Big enough to crochet rag or rope rugs out of.

[carorees]

I make pretty much all our food from scratch including bread, yogurt, ice cream (no churner needed recipe), mayonnaise, jams and lemon curd, sloe gin, granola, baked goods etc. But I've not yet tried cheese, butter or sausages, though I have made bacon and sausagemeat.

As far as craft things go, I knit socks but have always been disappointed in my other knitware efforts. I've had a go at many other crafts but the finished article rarely matches up to what it looked like in my imagination! Most successful is glass etching and slip-ware pottery.

I'm really into steeping. I have made sloe gin for several years. Also sloe vodka and paxaran - a spanish version with sloes steeped in anisette - lovely on ice as an aperitif or digestif. I use vodka and aniseed oil as anisette difficult/expensive to come by in this country. This year I also made some raspberry gin. Not as sweet as sloe gin and I have kept the raspberries in a jar in the fridge. A raspberry gin and tonic with a few 'gin raspberries in it - very yum. I have also made mulberry vodka (going to try gin next year) and quince vodka. Last year we also had a go at elderflower champagne. Also once I see seville oranges on the market I have to make a batch of marmalade although I have a shelf full in the garage!

The flavoured vodkas are brilliant to make and very easy. I did a banana, mango and pineapple one year. It was horrid after 3 months, way too much banana, but a year down the line and the flavours have blended into a lovely smooth mix.
Blackberries foraged from the hedgerows make a really nice vodka, usually just in time for Christmas.

This is another Nigella no churn ice cream
http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/no-churn-margarita-ice-cream-32
Just realised most of mine involve alcohol

What a great tent!
I am making my second batch of bread after giving my bread making machine a couple of years ago to my son. Much more fun by hand. It will be interesting to see how much better it is this time.
I have been making blackberry wine for years. I grow my own grapes but haven't made them into wine just yet although I mix them int the blackberries. Had a go at ginger wine this year but it's not ready to drink just yet. Patience is a virtue it is said!
I make blackberry and quince jelly too which is really tasty. I have made cream cheese from yoghurt which is tasty too. I always cook meals from scratch especially pasta sauce.
I spin wool from fleece to knit too. And I make my own clothes, curtains etc, even corsets back in the day. I have also had a go at making my natural horsemanship equipment, ropes and halters but it's very hard on the hands so I stick to halters mostly now.
If I am interested in something I like to know how it's made and try my hand at it especially if it saves me money.
cilla xxx

I've just been given an Origami starter kit so I expect to see weird paper shapes around the house soon

Bean

I take my hat off to all you super talented ladies! I used to enjoy crafts like knitting, salt dough modelling, cross stitch, stencilling/decorative paintwork effects but haven't done any for years. Now prefer messing about in the kitchen and making food from scratch but that's about my limit!

Making food from scratch impresses me greatly @Callyanna and I'm looking forward to the day when I can cook a Hairy recipe. Maybe a sweet and sour chicken or something simple

Bean

I used to be soooo good; made all baby food for Sam, baked my bread and cinnamon buns, made yoghurt and ice cream, even pasta a few times (but that was too boring). I sewed most of my clothes, did crochet and knitting. I have been known to make my own natural toiletries including a dang good hand cream. Even tried soaping but gave it up when I put some burn marks on the brand new kitchen floor . Made natural scented candles spent a few years learning (and creating) botanical perfumery. Oh, I forgot, I had a brief stint into card making, have a decent sized plastic bin full of stuff down in the basement. Along with all the stuff for making crams, candles, soaps etc.

Today I quilt, mostly appliqué and currently working on a larger piece of my own design that The DH have named "Infinity". I cook 95% (at least) of our dinners from "scratch", that is - I don't grow my rice or potatoes, nor do I make the pasta or slaughter the cow I still love to raise plants for the greenhouse from seeds (my men is still on my s-t list cause they managed to kill all the chili plants I had brought indoors while I was in Houston) - hot chilies, tomatoes, cucumbers mostly. But I buy our bread, hardly make any buns (except when the urge strikes me), buy my hand cream at the supermarket and even is back on wearing Obsession

What a busy @Wolfie - am very impressed with your talents

Bean

Funny story, I was breastfeeding during the time I was experimenting with yogurt making. My sis in law put the two activities together in her head and thought I was making my own yogurt totally from scratch! Then followed the discussion on negative calories cream, butter, ice cream and yogurts!

Oh no i can't show my face in here..i am totally useless when it comes to being crafty etc..
The only scratching i do is my head..
Maybe i can just hang round and admire you creative guys..hopefully some of it might rub off on me! XXX